John Taylor,
"Sermon on the Mount",
Journal of Discourses,
vol. 24,
pp. 259-270,
June 24, 1883.

Truth Always the Same—Duties of the Saints—Officers Present—Where the Principles of the Gospel Originated—Character of Abraham—How He Was Tried—His Progeny—Duties of the Priesthood—Trials of the Saints—Charity Required—How Transgressors Should Be Dealt With—Exhortation to Righteousness

Discourse by President John Taylor, delivered at Parowan, Sunday Morning, June 24th, 1883.

Reported by John Irvine.

Elder George Reynolds, at the request of President Taylor, read
Christ's “Sermon on the Mount,” after which,

President Taylor spoke as follows: I have had a long discourse read
over in your hearing. I do not know that we can listen to anything
better than to instructions given by the Savior; and in that discourse
is a great amount of intelligence, wisdom, thought, reflection,
principle and doctrine presented to our minds. It is full of thought,
full of intelligence, and presents to us principles that connect earth
with heaven, man with God, and with which are interwoven all our best
interests in time and throughout eternity. It is well, therefore, to
reflect upon these things—upon the doctrines, teachings and
instructions given by our Savior and by ancient men of God, who were
under the inspiration of the Almighty, and who spake as they were
moved upon by the Holy Ghost. For if the principles which were
enunciated by our Savior in His day, were correct, they are just as
true and correct today as they were then, and they are quite as
applicable to us as they were to the people to whom He addressed
Himself; for they are general principles, and some of them refer to
things that are personal, that are associated with our everyday life,
and with the spirit and feeling that we ought, as Saints of the Most
High God, to be in possession of. Indeed I very much question whether
we could find in the same space as comprehensive an exposition of
ideas or principles enunciated by any person that ever spake, as are
found in this sermon which was delivered by Jesus upon the Mount. We
should have esteemed it a great privilege to have listened to the Son
of God, yet we can read His words today, and the principles He
taught, as I have said, are just as true and im-portant now as they were then.

I desire to speak a little this morning upon some of the duties and
responsibilities which devolve upon us as Latter-day Saints, and I
feel that—as I often hear the Elders say—I would like to have an
interest in your faith and prayers. I like to have the prayers, the
faith and confidence of good men and good women, and I feel this
morning that I am among good men and good women who are desirous to do
the will and keep the commandments of God our heavenly Father—that is,
this is the general feeling.

I will say I have been pleased to meet here and greet some of our
Presidents of Stakes and other brethren from a distance. Here is
Brother McAllister from St. George, and some others who have
accompanied him from that region. They have traveled over a hot, sandy
desert, quite a long distance to meet with us and to meet with you.
Again, here is another President of Stake—Brother Crosby—who has come
over these big mountains from Panguitch, and I think some of his folks
have come with him from that Stake. Then again, here is Brother
Murdock, who has come 35 miles with us, and then you might double that
distance by two or three times, for he was at Milford to meet us, and
some of his folks are also with us. Then we had the President of
Millard Stake—Brother Hinckley—who was with us for several days. It
gives me great pleasure to meet with these my brethren of the
Priesthood, especially with the Presidents of Stakes and their
Counselors, because they hold important positions in the Church and
kingdom of God, and I greet you and bless you in the name of the Lord.
There is a spirit exhibited which shows that the brethren feel
inter-ested in the things pertaining to the kingdom of God, and that of
all others is the thing in which we ought all of us to be interested.
[President Cannon: We have also with us Brother Erastus Snow and
Brother Jacob Gates.] President Taylor: Oh, yes. We expect them to be
everywhere, as we are. We have specially dedicated ourselves to God,
as active servants in His vineyard; we have dedicated ourselves to do
the will of God, and to assist in carrying out His purposes, and we
feel quite happy in the labor. And I should have been very much
pleased, and so would Brother Cannon—and I do not know but what he
wants me to say something about him being here—(laughter). [Brother
Cannon: Oh, no.]—we should have been pleased to have stayed in the
country a few days longer, but we cannot do so; that is, we have other
duties devolving upon us, and we ought to be in Salt Lake City on
Tuesday next. At one time we could not very easily have done this, but
we have found out the way—at least, there is a way provided. The Lord
has blessed us with many blessings. He has caused us to sit together
in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. He has granted unto us His Holy
Spirit to enlighten our minds, and to teach us the principles of
righteousness. He has called us to do a great work. How great, could I
tell you? No. Could you understand if I did? No, you could not. But
He has called us to do a great work—a work in which God our heavenly
Father is interested, a work in which Jesus the Mediator of the new
covenant is interested, a work in which Adam is interested, a work in
which Seth, Methuselah, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and
the Prophets are interested, a work in which the Apostles that
officiated
on the continent of Asia are interested, a work in
which the Apostles that officiated on this continent are interested,
as well as Lehi, Nephi, Moroni, and others, who operated here in the
cause of God, and who sought to carry out His purposes in this land.
It is a work in which all men that have ever lived upon the face of
the earth are interested. It is a work in which the Gods in the
eternal worlds are interested. It is a work that has been spoken of
by all the holy Prophets since the world was. It is called the
“dispensation of the fulness of times,” wherein God will gather
together all things in one, whether they be things in the heavens or
things in the earth. It is a dispensation in which all the holy
Prophets that ever lived upon the face of the earth are interested.
They prophesied about it as the grand and great consummation in the
accomplishment of the purposes of God; purposes which He designed
before the morning stars sang together, or the sons of God shouted for
joy, or this world itself rolled into existence. It is a work in which
we, our progenitors and our posterity are especially interested. And
we are gathered together from among the nations of the earth in order
that we may be taught of God, that we may understand the law of God,
and the principles of life and salvation; a salvation that extends not
only to ourselves, but to all mankind. We are gathered together here
that we may be placed especially under the tuition and guidance of the
Lord, that we may feel and realize that which the ancient Israelites
expressed when they said, “The Lord is our judge, the Lord is our
lawgiver, the Lord is our king”—and He shall rule over us, and we will
be his people; and we His latter-day Israel, will acknowl-edge Him in
all things; for we are a chosen people, a royal Priesthood, selected
by the God of Israel for the accomplishment of His purposes, for the
organization and purification of His Church, for the establishment of
His Kingdom, and for the building up of His Zion on the earth. We are
indebted to God for the revelation of all those principles that we
today possess, whether they relate to the Church of God, to the Zion
of God, or to the kingdom of God; so far as any principles thereof have
been made manifest and developed unto us they are truly, positively
and unequivocally the gift of God our heavenly Father. They did not
originate with us. They did not originate with any man that lived on
the earth, for no man knew them. They did not originate with Joseph
Smith, or with Brigham Young, or with myself, or with the Apostles, or
with any class of men in this Church. They are the gift of God to His
people, to His children who dwell upon the earth. He has offered these
principles freely to the nations of the earth. Thousands and millions
of people who have heard them have not received nor obeyed them; but
you have—that is, I speak generally, not individually, for some have
not obeyed them. Many Latter-day Saints do not comprehend their
position. They do not understand the relationship that exists between
God and themselves. They do not understand the responsibility of the
position that they occupy; some such hold the Holy Priesthood, and
others are not in the Holy Priesthood. After so many years of teaching
and instruction, and the many opportunities that we have had, we come
far short of comprehending the principles of life, truth and
intelligence which God has seen fit to make manifest
to us,
and the world do not comprehend them at all. And why cannot they?
Because Jesus said very positively in His day, that except a man was
born again he could not see the kingdom of God, and unless he was born
of the water and of the Spirit, he could not enter into the kingdom of
God, and they do not understand it. We cannot help that. But if we
could comprehend our own positions and realize the blessings that we
have enjoyed, and do now enjoy, and the prospect that lies before us
in consequence of God having inclined our hearts to yield obedience to
the Gospel of the Son of God, we should call upon our souls and all
that is within us, to bless His holy name. We should thank God from
morning till evening, that we have the privilege of being Latter-day
Saints. We should thank Him for the light and intelligence that we
have already received, and we should seek for a closer communion with
Him that we might comprehend more fully the duties that devolve upon
us, and feel in our hearts to do the will of God on earth, as angels
do it in heaven. We should do this if we could comprehend our true
position, and some of us do comprehend it in part. We see in part, we
understand in part, we prophesy in part, etc., but when that which is
perfect is come, that which is in part will be done away with. The
Lord has gathered us together, and is seeking to introduce among this
people the principles of Zion, that we may be pure in heart, pure in
spirit, pure in our actions, and that we may all of us feel like
saying: “O God, search my heart, and try my reins, search me and prove
me, and if there is any way of wickedness within me, bid it depart;
show it to me that I may overcome it, that I may gain the vic-tory, that
I may be worthy to be thy son, that I may be worthy to have Thy
blessing and Thy Spirit, and the intelligence that dwells with Thee
imparted to me; that I may walk according to Thy laws and fulfill the
various duties and responsibilities that devolve upon me.” That is the
kind of feeling we should have if we could realize and comprehend our
position. We would seek after the Lord.

In the discourse read by Brother Reynolds, this morning, it says,
among other things: “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after
righteousness: for they shall be filled.” I also read with regard to
Abraham: He was a man of God, and he tells us in his history that he
was a follower after righteousness; that he desired to obtain more
righteousness, and that upon examining into the history of his
fathers, he found that he had a right to the Priesthood and sought
ordination, and he received that ordination. He was ordained by
Melchizedek, who was prince of Salem, and a servant of the Most High
God, and held the Priesthood called after his name. It is the
Priesthood which is after the order of the Son of God, a Priesthood
which possesses the power of an endless life. Abraham received a
knowledge of these things; and when he obtained the Priesthood what
did he do? Did he, after the manner of some religionists, “sing
himself away to everlasting bliss?” No, he did not. What then did he
do? He kept seeking after more righteousness. Jesus recognized that
principle in his sermon—“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst
after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Abraham sought the
Lord diligently, and finally he had given unto him a Urim and Thummim,
in which he
was enabled to obtain a knowledge of many things
that others were ignorant of. I think the meaning of the name of this
instrument is Light and Perfection, in other terms, communicating
light perfectly, and intelligence perfectly, through a principle that
God has ordained for that purpose. Did Abraham stop there? No; he did
not rest until he could communicate with God Himself. Jesus says:
“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” The Lord
appeared to Abraham, and told him many things. And in proportion to
the blessings which He conferred upon him, the Lord exacted from
Abraham strict obedience to His law, to His word, and to His will, and
He tried him to the uttermost. He gave unto him a son. Sarah laughed
at the idea when the Lord told her she would have a son. At her time
of life—she was 90 years old—it did look a little odd. The Lord asked
her what she laughed at. She denied that she had laughed, but He said,
“Nay, but thou did'st laugh.” There were to be certain blessings
associated with this son. The Lord also told Abraham that He would
bless him exceedingly, and make him a great man upon the earth.
Finally, this son was born. But there came, after a time, a time of
trial of Abraham's faith. In substance the Lord said to him: “Now,
Abraham, take thy son Isaac. You received him from me,” the same as we
all do, if we could understand it, but we do not—he was a son of
promise—a great many people are not sons of promise, but still are no
less the children of God, for God is the God and father of the spirits
of all flesh—“Take thy son and offer him up as a sacrifice.” “What!”
said Abraham. No; I do not believe that He said that; but I will
suppose what He might have said: “Why, Lord, did you not tell me that
you would establish your covenant with Isaac, for an everlasting
covenant, and with his seed after him, and that I should become a
great and mighty nation, and that all the nations of the earth would
be blessed in me?” “Yes.” “And now you tell me to offer my promised
son as a sacrifice? What are you going to do about it?” “You have got to
obey me, that is all.” Abraham did not begin to question the Lord if
He could find a precedent for such a thing in the Scriptures, or
whether such a thing had ever taken place anywhere else. No; he
proceeded to carry out the commandment of the Lord. I fancy I can see
Abraham undergoing this trial. I wonder what his feelings were. What
would your feelings be if you were commanded to sacrifice your
promised son? Well, Abraham took his son into the mountain. They built
an altar. And finally Isaac said to his father: “Behold the fire and
the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” What would you
have thought if you had been in Abraham's place? Yet Abraham was a
righteous man and sought after righteousness, sought after God, and
God had talked with him, and blessed him in a very remarkable manner,
and given him a son where there was no prospect naturally of his wife
Sarah having one. How would you have felt, you fathers here, if you
had been placed in the same position? But Abraham nerved himself up
and said: “My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt
offering—thou thyself art that lamb!” He thereupon bound Isaac, and
laid him on the altar. He lifted the knife, and was about to strike
the fatal blow, when the angel of the Lord called
unto him out
of heaven and said, “Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou
anything unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou
hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. And Abraham lifted
up his eyes and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a
thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered
him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.” And the Lord
said, “Because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy
son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in
multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and
as the sand which is upon the seashore; And in thy seed shall all the
nations of the earth be blessed.”

I speak of these things to show how men are to be tried. I heard
Joseph Smith say—and I presume Brother Snow heard him also—in
preaching to the Twelve in Nauvoo, that the Lord would get hold of
their heart strings and wrench them, and that they would have to be
tried as Abraham was tried. Well, some of the Twelve could not stand
it. They faltered and fell by the way. It was not everybody that could
stand what Abraham stood. And Joseph said that if God had known any
other way whereby he could have touched Abraham's feelings more
acutely and more keenly he would have done so. It was not only his
parental feelings that were touched. There was something else besides.
He had the promise that in him and in his seed all the nations of the
earth should be blessed; that his seed should be multiplied as the
stars of the heaven and as the sand upon the seashore. He had looked
forward through the vista of future ages and seen, by the spirit of
revelation, myriads of his people rise up through whom God would
convey intelligence, light and salvation to a world. But in being
called upon to sacrifice his son it seemed as though all his prospects
pertaining to posterity were to come to naught. But he had faith in
God, and he fulfilled the thing that was required of him. Yet we
cannot conceive of anything that could be more trying and more
perplexing than the position in which he was placed.

Now, although I have said considerable in regard to Abraham, yet I
will say a word or two more. God said that in his seed should all
the nations of the earth be blessed. Who was Isaac, and who was Jacob?
Heirs with him to the same promise. Who was Moses? A man that was
raised up to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. Who was he? A
descendant of Abraham. Who were the Prophets from whom we receive the
Bible? The seed of Abraham. Who were the prophets from whom we
received this Book of Mormon? They were the seed of Abraham. Who was
Jesus, the Mediator of the new covenant? Of the seed of Abraham. Who
were the Apostles? Of the seed of Abraham. Who were the people that
came to this continent? The seed of Abraham. Who were the Apostles
that were raised up here? They were the seed of Abraham. Who was
Joseph Smith, the Prophet of God, raised up in these last days? He was
a descendant of Joseph, the son of Jacob, and his father's name was
Joseph, as had been anciently prophesied should be the case, when the
work he should perform was being referred to. Who are this people? A
great many are of the seed of Abraham. And what is God doing with us?
Has He raised us up to injure mankind? No. For what are the Twelve
Apostles
appointed? To preach the Gospel to all mankind. What
are these 76 Quorums of Seventies for? Here is one of their
Presidents. What are those quorums for, Brother Gates? [Brother Jacob
Gates: To preach the Gospel to all the world.] Yes; to preach the
Gospel to the nations of the earth—messengers of Jehovah, to
communicate the glad tidings of salvation to a fallen world, to
declare that the heavens have been opened, that God has spoken, that
the eternal principles of life have been revealed, and that we are
commissioned to make known unto the nations of the earth the glad
tidings of salvation which God has ordained. Again, what are the
Elders for? The same thing. Then come other principles. We are
gathered together here that we might be taught of God, that we might
be placed under His tuition, under His guidance and under His
direction. As it is written: “They shall teach no more every man his
neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they
shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.” We
are here to learn of His ways and to walk in His paths.

We are living, as I said, in “the dispensation of the fulness of
times,” when God will gather together all things in one, whether they
be things on the earth or things in the heavens, whether they
appertain to Adam, or Seth, or Enos, or Mahalaleel, or Methuselah, or
Noah, or Abraham, or Isaac, or Jacob, or the Prophets, or Jesus, or
the people that have lived in the different ages who have possessed
the Gospel of the Son of God; people on this continent or any other
continent. They are all interested in this work. All heaven is engaged
in carrying out the work that we are engaged in to-day. They are
looking upon us and watching our acts, and are interested in this
great work. And God will say, today, as he did in former times:
“Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.” And I say woe
to them that lift their hands against the anointed of God, for God
will be after them. We have a work to perform. We have to build up the
Church and kingdom of God, and to see that the principles of purity
and the law of God are enforced. Let me speak upon this. The
Scriptures say: “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth
himself, even as he is pure.” Again, the Scriptures say: “Be not
deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he
also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap
corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap
life everlasting.” Being gathered together as we are, and having our
organization of the First Presidency, of the Twelve Apostles, of the
Presidents of Stakes and their counselors, of the Bishops and their
counselors, of High Councils, of Priests, Teachers and Deacons, and of
all the associations and organizations of the Holy Priesthood,
according to the pattern that exists in the heavens—God having placed
us in this position, He expects that every one of us will fulfill the
duties devolving upon us. If the Presidents of Stakes do not do their
duty aright, it becomes the duty of the First Presidency to call them
to an account, and if the First Presidency do not do their duty, it
becomes God our heavenly Father, or Jesus the Mediator of the new
covenant, to call them to an account, and it is woe to those men if
they do not perform their duties aright. Then it becomes
the
duty of the Twelve to fulfill the callings and responsibilities
devolving upon them, and to carry out and fulfill the word, the will
and law of God. And who has a right to depart from that? God has
introduced laws into His Church for the purification of His people.
How was it formerly? God placed in His Church Apostles, Prophets,
Pastors, Teachers, Evangelists, etc. What for? To be so many
dummies? No. But for the perfecting of the Saints. What else? For the
work of the ministry. What else? For the edifying of the body of
Christ. How long? “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of
the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure
of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no
more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of
doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they
lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up
into him in all things.” In other words, that we may be one with
Christ as He is one with the Father, and operate together every man in
his place, and then God for us all. Hence it is for us to purify
ourselves as God is pure.

I have heard sometimes that you have hard struggling in some of these
southern countries, especially a little further south. I presume you
have. I presume you have difficulty sometimes in making both ends
meet. But we won't cry about it after all. We might be a great deal
worse off, and I have seen the time when we were a great deal worse
off than we are today. Have not you? [Several voices: “Yes.”]

You are all well clad. You do not look as if you were starved to
death, or anything of that kind. We want to cultivate the principles
of life, to train up our children in the right way, and to place
ourselves in a proper position to fear God and to carry out His laws.
And about our riches or about our poverty it will not make much
difference not a great while hence. It will not make very much
difference whether we are poor or whether we are rich. But it will
make a great difference whether we are honorable or not; whether we
are men and women of virtue or not; whether we are free from
covetousness or not; and whether we keep the commandments of God and
live our religion or not; it will make a very great difference whether
we do these things or whether we do not. And did you ever think that
it became necessary in times past, so we read in the Bible—for the
Lord to allow the Philistines and the Midianites and others to become
thorns, as it were, in the side of the children of Israel, in order to
bring them to righteousness? Did you ever read of such things? I have
in my Bible. And if the Lord suffers us to be tried we will be tried;
and we will say, “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from
evil.” We will pray as Jesus taught His disciples to pray. We will
say: “Our Father who art in heaven; O, God, my Father, O Thou that art
the Father of my spirit and of my flesh, and that watchest over me and
art interested in my welfare, let me reverence Thy holy name. If Thou
conferest upon me the good things of life, I will thank Thee for them.
Give me my daily bread. Forgive me my sins as I forgive those that
sin against me.” I see people sometimes full of wrath and indignation
against their neighbors, and they sometimes say, “I will never forgive
them as long as I live.” Then you will never be a Saint as long as
you live. I have heard our sisters say such things. You would
not think it of them, but it is true. God teaches us to pray for a
forgiveness of our sins, as we forgive those that trespass against us.
Is not that the principle laid down? Yes. “How oft shall my brother
sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times?” enquired Peter
of the Savior. “Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, until seven
times; but until seventy times seven”—that is if he repent. Well, I
have seen such folks. They are all the time sinning and all the time
repenting. We look upon them as “weak sisters.” But we can perform our
part with them. For if we forgive not men their trespasses, how shall
God forgive us our trespasses? “Lead us not into temptation; but
deliver us from evil; for thine is the kingdom.” What? “For thine is
the kingdom.” What, God's? Yes. What kingdom? In Him pertains all the
powers, and kingdoms, and authority over the whole earth. But who
acknowledges His authority? We see kingdom against kingdom, nation
against nation, power against power; confusion, disunion and anarchy
everywhere prevailing. Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Thy
kingdom come.” What is implied in this expression? What is meant by a
kingdom? It signifies power, rule, authority, dominion. Whose kingdom
was it to be? God's kingdom. What! God to bear rule and have dominion
over the earth? So it is said:

“There was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all
people, nations and languages should serve him: his dominion is an
everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that
which shall not be destroyed.”

And it is elsewhere said:

“And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under
the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the
most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions
shall serve and obey him.”

And what else? The gold and the silver are God's, and the cattle upon
a thousand hills. All that we possess is the gift of God. We should
acknowledge Him in all things. We sometimes talk about men having this
right and the other right. We have no rights only such as God gives
us. And I will tell you what He will show to the Latter-day Saints. He
will yet prove to them that the gold and the silver are His, and the
cattle upon a thousand hills, and that He gives to whom He will, and
withholds from whom he pleases. He will yet show you this is a matter
of fact. Our safety and happiness, and our wealth depend upon our
obedience to God and His laws, and our exaltation in time and
eternity, depends upon the same thing. If we have means placed in our
hands, we will ask our Father to enable us to do what is right with
it, and, as I have said, we will ask Him for our daily bread, and
thank Him for it; just the same as the children of Israel did. They
had manna brought to them from time to time by the angels. I do not
know what kind of mills they had or who were their bakers; but they
brought the manna. “He that gathered much had nothing over, and he that
gathered little had no lack.” I think that is the case sometimes with
us. The angels do not feed us exactly with manna, but God does take
care of us, and I feel all the day long like blessing the name of the
God of Israel: and if we fear God and work righteousness, as I told
you yester-day, we, the people of Zion, will be the richest of
all people.

What then shall we do? We will fear God, keep His commandments, and
observe His laws. We will not seek to do our own will, but the will of
God our Heavenly Father, and if we do the will of God our Heavenly
Father, we have to be taught what that will is. And then we have to be
taught it, too, through the proper channels. You may everyone of you,
ask God to guide and direct you, and He will show you the right path.
But we have to be obedient to the authorities of His Church. You have
a President of Stake here, and ought to be obedient to him. You have
Bishops, and you ought to listen to their counsel. You have teachers,
and they ought to perform their duties faithfully and diligently, and
you ought to be subject to their counsels. And we ought all of us to
seek to fear God, keep His commandments, and obey His laws, and God
will bless us.

There is another principle I desire to speak about. We have no right
to condone the sins of men and pervert the order of God in His Church.
Now, I want you Presidents of Stakes and you Bishops to listen to
this. If men transgress the law of God, it is your duty to see after
it, and to call upon them to repent, and if they do not repent, they
ought to be removed out of the Church. For it is only he that doeth
righteousness that is righteous, and God has instituted laws and
expects us to be governed by them. We are not to be harsh masters. I
will have read something on this subject from the Book of Doctrine and
Covenants.

“Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen.

“And why are they not chosen?

“Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world,
and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one
lesson—

“That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the
powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled
nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness. * *

“No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the
priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and
meekness, and by love unfeigned,” etc., etc.

There is no authority associated with the Holy Priesthood except on
the principle of persuasion, and no man has a right to plume himself
upon any position he occupies in this Church, for he is simply a
servant of God, and a servant of the people, and if any man attempts
to use any kind of arbitrary authority, and act with any degree of
unrighteousness, God will hold that man to an account for it, and we
all of us have to be judged according to the deeds done in the body.
We are here as saviors of men, and not as tyrants and oppressors. But
at the same time if men do not and will not yield obedience to the
laws of God, then it becomes the duty of those who preside over them
to see that the law of God is carried out, and that these unrighteous
men are severed from the Church. We have had adulterers among us, and
wherever I have heard of them I have directed that they be severed
from the Church. Why? Because I cannot permit it, and God will not
permit it. Who is it that will be outside of the Eternal City by and
by? The liar, the hypocrite, the whoremonger, the sorcerer, and the
adulterer—they shall be with the dogs outside of the city. Now, I do
not want to try to drag such men in. We have no right to
tamper with these things. God expects us to begin to walk up to the
line, and to perform the several duties that devolve upon us. We must
honor our God, and purge the Church from unrighteousness. I have had
cases come before me in regard to adultery. There is a law in relation
to that—that is, when they have not entered into the new and
everlasting covenant, and taken upon themselves obligations associated
with the celestial law—that if a man commits adultery he shall make an
acknowledgement of it before the Church—that is, if it is his first
offense, and he has not sinned in this wise before. If it is his first
offense, and he repents, he shall be forgiven, but if he does it a
second time he shall be cast out. But when we come to other
things—things that are more serious—when men have entered into
covenants associated with the celestial law and taken upon themselves
obligations pertaining thereto, it is a different matter. I will read
a little from the revelation:

“And as ye have asked concerning adultery, verily, verily, I say unto
you, if a man receive a wife in the new and everlasting covenant, and
if she be with another man, and I have not appointed unto her by the
holy anointing, she hath committed adultery and shall be destroyed.

“If she be not in the new and everlasting covenant, and she be with
another man, she has committed adultery.

“And again, as pertaining to the law of the priesthood—if any man
espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another, and the first give
her consent, and if he espouse the second, and they are virgins, and
have vowed to no other man, then is he justified; he cannot commit
adultery for they are given unto him; for he cannot commit adultery
with that that belongeth unto him and to no one else.

“And if he have ten virgins given unto him by this law, he cannot
commit adultery, for they belong to him, and they are given unto him;
therefore is he justified.

“But if one or either of the ten virgins, after she is espoused, shall
be with another man, she has committed adultery, and shall be
destroyed.”

Here is a principle—and the same principle applies to the man—that if
a man commits adultery, he also shall be destroyed. Can I change that?
I did not make the law. Have I the right to change it? “But,” says one,
“does it not say that what you shall bind on earth shall be bound in
heaven, and what you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven?”
Yes; but I have to know if it is the mind and will of God that it
shall be so. The law says, “they shall be destroyed.” What else? “And
shall be delivered unto the buffetings of Satan unto the day of
redemption.” That is the law. Can I change it? Can you? I speak now to
Presidents of Stakes and Bishops. We are told that we are not to be
partakers of other men's sins. Now, you send men with recommends to me
to have me pass upon them. I trust to you. I suppose you are
acquainted with these things. I suppose you act intelligently and
understandingly. But if people do not fulfill the requirements of the
Gospel, you have no right to recommend them to the house of the Lord.
They do not belong there. People who do not observe the laws of the
Gospel and live their religion, should not receive
recommends,
and if you do recommend such you will be held responsible, for I will
not. I receive them upon your authority, and trust to your judgment. I
have known cases where wicked and corrupt men have gone into the house
of God. The parties administering did not know it, but nevertheless it
was a fact. And what has become of them? They have come to me feeling
as though they were in hell. They wanted to know what they could do. I
tell them I did not know; perhaps the Lord would indicate by and by. I
say to all, you had better, unless you determine to fear God and keep
His laws, quit at once, for God expects us to do right, and will hold
us to an account for our acts. And I say to the Bishops, purge your
Wards from all iniquity, and have no fellowship with adulterers and
adulteresses. Adultery is the curse of the nations today, and it is
corrupting, corroding, and eating out the very vitals of the people
among the nations. They are overrun with it. God has set us apart to
do His will and to build up His Kingdom and His Zion. Zion means the
pure in heart, and we have to be pure in heart and pure in life. We
have to be honest. We must not steal. What, do Saints steal? I hope
you have no thieves among you here. And then there are covetous men,
men who conceive all kinds of plans to get possession of other
people's property. Such are not going to get into the Kingdom of God,
unless they repent and do right. Who will inherit the earth? Those who
despoil their neighbors? No. Who will they be? Jesus said in His
sermon, “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth;” not
the covetous, sorcerers, adulterers, liars, hypocrites, and those who
bear false witness against their neighbors; all such characters will
not have a place there. It is for us who hold the Holy Priesthood to
be pure. “Be ye pure that bear the vessels of the Lord.” It is for
each of us to be pure, and then say to others, “follow me, as I follow
Jesus.” It is for us to live our religion and obey the laws of God,
and perform the duties that devolve upon us, and I tell you, if we do
this, I will risk all that the nations of the earth, or that this
nation can do. If we will only fear God, build up Zion, and work
righteousness, God will put a hook in the jaws of our oppressors. We
may have to suffer for a little while, but we will overcome. This
kingdom will not be given into the hands of another people, for God is
with Israel, and Israel will triumph. And if we will continue to do
right—and whether some of us do right or not; those that do not do
right will be cast out of their place; but if we continue to do right
Zion will increase and grow until the kingdoms of this world will
become the kingdoms of our God and His Christ, and until every
creature in heaven, on the earth, and under the earth will be heard to
say, blessing and honor and might and power and majesty and dominion
be ascribed to Him that sitteth on the throne and unto the Lamb
forever.